The “new era of civility in politics” called for by President Obama after former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ) was shot, lasted about five Washington minutes. Since then Obama has adopted a scorched earth public policy in an attempt to destroy his political enemies, but sacrificing the Constitution as collateral damage.

Consider Obama’s January 12, 2011 words in Tucson: “At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized—at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do; it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.”

Fast forward to the October 8, 2013 press conference, when an unhinged Obama used highly inflamed words describing those who think differently as “hostage takers” party to “extortion” and “insanity,” who created “catastrophe” and “chaos.” Rather uncivil discourse for one who seems to believe he is destined to be the fifth president chiseled out of rock at Mount Rushmore.

So what happened between Tucson and October 8? Nothing, really. Liberals by nature are bipolar, switching effortlessly from one issue to the next, depending upon the audience, time of day and what they had for dinner. In Tucson, liberals perceived a tragedy as a chance to promote gun control. At the press conference last week, liberals weren’t getting their way regarding the debt ceiling and seized the opportunity to change focus by demonizing opponents. Why make rational decisions to salvage the nation’s economy when one can sling mud?

Think back to the 2012 election. The Obama re-election campaign vilified opponents by circulating a list of top Romney campaign donors they claimed had “less-than-reputable records.” Obama’s political lap dogs responded, and not long after, good people fell victim to IRS audits and intimidation.

Similar tactics were used to push back conservative and Tea Party groups. According to Jonathan Alter, author of the book, “The Promise: President Obama, Year One,” Obama used an extremely vulgar term “tea-baggers” (My column is PG-13, so you look it up) to publicly disparage Tea Party activists. The vulgarity went viral and became part of the public discourse regarding the Tea Party, whose only crime so far is having an opinion contrary to the president’s . With tax-exempt status (and their reputations) in limbo, many would-be Romney campaign players were conveniently silenced; hence sending the chilling message: The IRS had Obama’s back and would stab yours if you dared to publicly oppose their guy. Scary stuff.

It is reasonable to say that without these Chicago thug tactics, an inept empty suit sporting golf shoes might not be occupying the oval office. Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto concurs. Taranto wrote, “We now know that government corruption—namely IRS persecution of dissenters—was a factor in Obama’s re-election.

During his second inaugural address, Obama called for an end to political name-calling, but he continues, out of control. His rancor is contagious and trickles down the ranks, spreading from Pelosi, Reid, Carney and the rest of the lemmings to senior White House adviser Dan Pfeiffer, who recently likened those who disagree to terrorists “with a bomb strapped to their chest.” Former Obama campaign manager and senior White House adviser David Plouffe was no more civil October 10, suggesting opponents are “committing economic treason.”

Insane…hostage takers…terrorists…the list goes on. Liberalism’s sewer politics may win a few battles or elections– but will eventually lose the war. Liberalism has failed the world over. And today, with the president’s approval numbers at 37 percent , liberalism is headed south in Obama’s uncivil America.

Reasonable people compromise. Unreasonable people do not. Instead, they trample over those around them to selfishly get their way. And the government is shut down this chilly October day in 2013 because unreasonable Democrats behaving like spoiled children would rather refuse treatment to terminally ill children, ravage the economy, disparage veterans and make the rest of our lives miserable — than compromise.

The GOP has its share of problems, but one thing is absolute: Republicans made reasonable effort to pass legislation intended to keep non-partisan government agency programs running. All they asked for in return was to delay implementation of Obamacare, the Democrat Party’s illegitimate lovechild that nobody wants.

Sometimes it’s best to walk away. Sir Winston Churchill once so poetically quipped: “In war as in life, it is often necessary when some cherished scheme has failed, to take up the best alternative open, and if so, it is folly not to work for it with all your might.” The GOP offered Democrats an easy out…a way to save face…even raise Obama’s approval numbers. But sadly, and to the country’s detriment, Democrats don’t understand the art and value of compromise, let alone engage in it.

Merriam-Webster definition of compromise: “A way of reaching agreement in which each person or group gives up something that was wanted in order to end an argument or dispute.”

Obama-Reid-Pelosi definition of compromise: “Name-calling, threatening, and making life miserable until Republicans give up everything and Democrats give up nothing in order to get your way.”

What possesses the heart of those who would allow harm to others in order to further an ideology? And how do they reconcile their consciences?

Per the Weekly Standard, the National Park Service was instructed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to barricade D.C.’s World War II Memorial, preventing the dwindling few of America’s Greatest Generation from viewing that which was erected in their honor prior to their passing on.

If you wonder who’s responsible for such callousness, look no further than Obama. According to Whitehouse.gov: “The core mission of OMB is to serve the President of the United States in implementing his vision across the Executive Branch…It reports directly to the President…to implement commitments and priorities of the President.”

During his weekly address October 5, Obama covered his own aversion to compromise with lies. He compared Republicans to “kidnappers” and suggested America may default on its debt because of the GOP. His words seemed to panic the markets when the Dow sunk below 15,000 the next day. Proverbs 22:18 says, “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Obama and Reid are quite the swordsmen these days.

Just when you think they could sink no deeper into this sewage they call politics, a liberal opens his mouth as recently happened when CNN asked Harry Reid why the Democrat-controlled Senate refused to approve a spending bill offered by Republicans that would keep the National Institute of Health open and help “one child who has cancer.”

Reid quipped: “Why would we want to do that? I have 1100 people at Nellis AFB that are sitting home. They have a few problems of their own.”

So, Harry, why would we want to do that? Maybe a little wisdom from Batman might help? In the movie, “A Dark Knight Rises” lead character Jim Gordon tells Batman “I never cared who you were…but shouldn’t the people know the hero who saved them?” Batman: “A hero can be anyone – even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a young boy’s shoulders to let him know that the world hadn’t ended.”

Or, maybe something as unpretentious as a compromise, so that a terminally ill child will know his world won’t end today because someone cared about him more than politics?

Surely, a dark night has risen over this great country as Democrats preside over the dismantling of America, one uncompromising position at a time.

Arrogance is like a cancer. Once it lodges itself in the heart and mind, there’s not much you can do as it begins to permeate the entire body with an inordinate sense of self-worth, significance, and position.

Lucifer understood this firsthand after becoming so enamored with himself he believed he was co-equal with the Creator. He lost his grandiose gig and earned a one-way ticket south to spend the rest of his days slithering around trying to entice mankind to join him in his misery.

Contemporary Liberalism is headed for the same fate as it elevates itself to unnatural heights, having nowhere but downward to fall. Policies like the Affordable Care Act (Seriously?), i.e. ObamaCare, highlight the arrogance of liberals who promote themselves to a place of superiority, telling us what we need and then redefining those needs as a “right.” Life is a right. Liberty is a right. Pursuit of happiness is a right.

Healthcare is not a right.

ObamaCare teaches us that liberals don’t believe in true freedom or unalienable rights. Nor do they think we are smart enough to make personal decisions. Instead, they pervert the Constitution and misuse governmental authority to coerce us to do what they say is good for us. And then exempt themselves from their own laws.

They tell us to “move on, it’s the law of the land.” From lofty thrones they call those who speak out against ObamaCare “anarchists.” With that logic, those who opposed once-legal slavery were also anarchists. Legality is not license for stupidity – unless you are a liberal.

Is it not the height of arrogance that liberals do not label as “anarchists” the crybabies attempting to repeal another law of the land, Citizens United? Their actions condemn them.

A trip down Memory Lane: Remember when global warming soothsayer and former V.P. Al Gore was caught with his lights on in 2006 when his 10,000-square-foot Nashville home used 191,000 kilowatt-hours of energy? According to Nashville’s News Channel 5, that same year the average Nashville household used about 15,600 kilowatt-hours.

Hypocrisy incarnate: Liberals love to spend time demonizing rich people and calculating how to spread their money around. That is, unless you’re talking about their money. According to Roll Call, seven of the ten richest members of the 112th Congress are Democrats.

Number 13, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), badgered 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney to release his tax returns, but refused to do the same when McClatchy News asked members of Congress to release returns the same year. Incidentally, Romney had a higher tax rate than John Kerry did the year before Kerry ran for president. Secretary of State Kerry is Number 2 on the “rich” list.

Wasn’t it Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who said during the 2009 Baucus-Grassley jobs bill fight that it was her belief “that tax credits only go to people who are making money, and they generally keep it“? As Number 9 on the list, Feinstein didn’t get there giving all her money away.

As surely as the sun rose and fell today over the white-capped Alaskan mountains I now call home, liberalism will fail. In the meantime the rest of us are charged with spreading truth and speaking with our vote in 2014 and 2016. Anything less is arrogance.

Susan Stamper Brown is an opinion page columnist who writes about politics, the economy and culture. Be the first to join the conversation at her newly created and not yet hacked into Facebook page.

What a lovely day to re-start my nationally syndicated column — the same day the damning effects of ObamaCare officially begin to trickle down to the least of us.

Things we now know:

President Obama and Congressional Democrats lied to us concerning all sorts of healthcare-related issues. Now, more than ever, we understand the importance of watching what liberals do, not what they say. I’ll be posting my syndicated column soon, which points to the arrogance of liberalism and lies therein.